Sefton Council has approved Octopus Healthcare’s proposals for a £35m redevelopment of the former Birkdale School for Hearing Impaired Children in Southport into an extra care accommodation site.
The proposal includes the conversion and remodelling of the listed school building, which dates back to 1901, including the recreation of lost features and construction of communal facilities, extra care accommodation and improvements to the grounds. Octopus’ proposals will create 113 extra care apartments and associated facilities including a bistro, residents’ lounge, library and hair and beauty salon, as well as providing on-site care.
Richard Dooley, development director at Octopus Healthcare, said: “The Octopus Healthcare development team have had a busy eighteen months working with Sefton Council to get this approval over the line. Being able to breathe new life into this iconic building and really giving it a purpose for the next 100 years is a great achievement. The environment we are trying to create will be a real testament to the future of elderly care”.
The site was originally opened as a private boarding school before it became the school for the partially hearing in 1948. It remained as such until 2003 when it was sold to developers and has remained vacant ever since. The building was made a grade II listed building in 1999.
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